The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Second language status for Oriya sought

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Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
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Second language status for Oriya sought

Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR: Jamshedpur-based Utkal Association, an organisation of Oriya-speaking people, has fervently appealed Orissa Government to take up the matter of according second language status to Oriya in Jharkhand with its counterpart immediately.

The association on Monday submitted a memorandum with the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik alleging that the present Jharkhand government was not serious to declare the Oriya as second official language in its State.

“Kindly take up the issue with Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and press him to declare Oriya as second official language as other languages such as Urdu and Bengali,” President of Utkal Association R. N. Satpathy said in his submission.

He said Oriyas were next to tribals in the all census in major part of Jharkhand but its government was not recognizing the Oriya as official language. The association said over 80 lakhs of Oriyas were living in seven districts, Paschim Singhbhum, Purba Singhbhum, Saraikela-Kharsawan, Ranchi, Lohardaga, Bokaro and Dhanbad. “Chief Minister Koda has already announced to accord Bengali as the second official language within 45 days. Orissa government should take up the matter urgently,” Mr. Satpathy, who met Orissa Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal on Monday, said.

If members of the association did not get help from any quarter, they would be forced to sit-in for a hunger strike before Assembly of Jharkhand on January 26, he warned.

However, the last resort for Oriyas would be to go for economic blockade. Reacting to association’s demand, Mr. Samal said he would discuss the issue with the former Chief Minister Arjun Munda, who had earlier declared to give Oriya the second language status.

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